Is the Sony hack another UVA story?

December 20, 2014

There is apparently no doubt that Sony was hacked. The natural object of suspicion is North Korea, particularly given the storyline for the film and previous precedent. At least, that’s the story the media is buying and reselling, Pyongyang’s protestations of innocence notwithstanding.

Somehow something just doesn’t smell right here. The Sony president says he reached out to “a senior White House adviser” and the company got Al Sharpton and his scripted response, not to an act of cyber warfare, but to racism in Hollywood. What’s up with that?

OK, dissing your major money making stars and the President of the United States even in “private” emails isn’t particularly smart, but c’mon, it’s Hollywood. Common sense is in short supply there.

Maybe it’s just 21st century cynicism, but developing this storyline is too easy.

On a serious note, there is no doubt that bad actors all over the world are using cyber warfare in place of tanks and carpet bombing.

It is undoubtedly true that most companies and probably national infrastructures are at risk. One news segment “contributor” stated that the U.S. government gets hit with intrusion attempts over a million times a day.

It’s also true that the standard antivirus and malware detection software we use at home is about as effective as wet toilet paper doors would be at stopping a home invasion. Apparently, the software in use by industry, commerce and business isn’t a heck of a lot better.

That would seem to open a seriously profitable business opportunity for someone.

Given the number of people with tech-savvy military backgrounds, it seems as though there would be some cyber-savvy equivalent to Blackwater. Seems like a golden opportunity to hire a vet, go for the high-end market and then take it to the mass market. I’d love to get the contract for THAT business plan.

Businesses like Sony or Target have deep pockets, so one would assume that if a 99+% foolproof cyber security solution was out there they would be buying it or even developing it themselves.

If the government did indeed invent the internet, and in view of the fact that it is driving a lot of the economic activity that generates taxes, it seems like a seriously effective government might have some interest in keeping it safe for the folks.

On the other hand, the Sony hack could be repurposed to further some political goal very easily.

Everything that has been released to the media may be true, as far as it goes. Hopefully even this selectively sieve-like administration isn’t going to put everything they know on Twitter.

Still, it might behoove the media to learn from the UVA story. Can you say “journalism?”

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